Arts & Entertainment
Gay high holy day
Madonna brings ‘MDNA Tour’ to D.C.
It sounds silly to say unless you were there, but Madonna’s show at the Verizon Center in D.C. last night — her first shows here since 2004 — felt like a wild mix of gay church, homecoming and an eye-popping musical extravaganza that, at times, rivaled a Cirque du Soleil production in scale, scope and special effects.
Madonna last night in D.C. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
Though barely anyone sat down the whole night, when the lights came up for a fourth quarter sing-along to “Like a Prayer,” there was an energy and fervor in the room that felt positively spiritual. It wasn’t so much, for me anyway, about the musicianship of the moment. I even winced a time or two at the thin vocals (she deserves credit for singing it live, though!), but that didn’t feel to me the point. In an arena full of what appeared to be about 70 percent gay men, the “Prayer” singalong felt more like a celebration of everything Madonna has always represented — you can be spiritual, intelligent, gay and have fun. And — projecting and paraphrasing of course — the stodgy old anti-gay gatekeepers of the Roman Catholic church, don’t think for a minute it’s their way or nothing. Yes, they’re onto something powerful and timeless, but they’re not the gatekeepers.
A bone for the gays. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
Sure, this isn’t a new thing by any means — Madonna has been using religious imagery to powerful concert effect at least since the “Blonde Ambition Tour,” but somehow this time out, it had a freshness and impact that totally worked. Arriving on stage in a confessional booth in one of her best tour entrances ever, this was an evening that brought with it redemptive powers. It’s also one of her best tours in ages — true, a Madonna show is never a bad show, but the arrangements, mix of old and new and staging, not to mention the flawless execution last night by all involved, has a hypnotic effect that can’t be fully conveyed. She plays another D.C. show tonight. Tickets are still available.
Almost everything worked in the expertly paced two-hour show. A pleasant surprise, considering her last few tours, was how faithful some of the arrangements were on the old hits. After having reworked “Vogue,” “Holiday,” and “Like a Prayer” so radically on outings’ past, it was great to hear them in near-original form for a change this time. While some of her re-imaginings other times have been amazing — I loved the gypsy/mariachi take on “La Isla Bonita” last time — this backfires as often as it works.
Last night’s percussion-heavy reworking of “Open Your Heart” was just so-so and a loungy, torchy “Like a Virgin” failed to pick up any heat, but thankfully there were enough faithful interpretations of other songs to make things largely effective overall. Second-tier, and more recent semi-hits, like “Revolver” and “Celebration” from her last hits collection, were unexpected surprises. And with “Papa Don’t Preach” and “Express Yourself” included as well, there wasn’t the slightest feeling Madonna was being stingy with the hits. They blended very well with material from her excellent new album. Some of the most effective moments of the evening were new songs like a blistering “I Don’t Give A” and an intensely satisfying “I’m Addicted.”
(Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
The band, sets, dancers, choreography, video montages and special effects were all super top-notch. And yes, there was a slight sense that for perhaps the first time, she left most of the tricky dance steps to the troupe, not always joining right in as she has in other tours. I noticed it, but it didn’t dampen the proceedings.
A lot has been made of the Tarantino-esque violence of the first quarter shooting rampage that accompanies “Girl Gone Wild” and “Gang Bang.” It was intense — blood splattering across arena-size monster jumbo screens is a jolt for sure — but it felt more cartoonish and campy than literal or disconcerting to me. In an evening where everything was writ as large as possible, it felt, to me, just one more piece of a broad emotional collage. One appreciates light much more after great darkness.
Even when there’s a song or two that aren’t what you would have picked — did we really need “Human Nature” again, for instance? — or an arrangement or two that left you cold, all that really is quibbling. Madonna never phones it in, never takes the easy route, never — even with a generous bounty of ’80s hits in the mix — feels like she’s a nostalgia act stuck in another era. Her live vocals — typically the calling card for a concert — are not her long suit, but to get too hung up on that is to miss the point entirely. Yeah, it’s always fun to see great legends in concert, but so many of them are on the gravy train and plow through their hits like they’re crossing off a grocery list. Madonna’s insistence on keeping it fresh even after all these years, remains an awe-inspiring thing.
Sports
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.
“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.
The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”
“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”
The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”
The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
(Video courtesy of the IOC)
Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.
Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.
“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.
An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.
a&e features
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths
The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.
This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.
This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward.
Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis
Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers
ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES
- Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
— U.S. House of Representatives - Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
— Executive Director, United We Dream - Paola Ramos (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
— Founder / Producer, Play Play DC - Savannah Wade (she/her)
— Founder, OAR Agency - Suhad Babaa (she/her)
— Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision - Ashlee Davis (she/her)
— Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry - Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
— Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine - Queen Adesuyi (she/they)
— Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice - Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
— Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) - Gaby Vincent (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
— Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra - Denice Frohman (she/her)
— Independent Artist, Poet / Performer - Vida Rangel (she/her)
— Founder, Our Trans Capital - Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
— Executive Director, Our Space - Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
— Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Diana Rodriques (she/her)
— Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Wendi Cooper (she/her)
— Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women - Toya Matthews (she/her)
— City of San Antonio, Texas - Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Charity Blackwell (she/her)
— Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader - Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
— Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation - Em Chadwick (she/her)
— CMO, For Them & Autostraddle - Kylo Freeman (they/he)
— CEO, For Them & Autostraddle
LEGEND AWARDEES
- Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
— Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau - Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
— Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP - leigh h. mosley (she/her)
— Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography - Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
— Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University - Jordyn White (she/her)
— COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation - AJ Hikes (they/them)
— Deputy Executive Director, ACLU - RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
— Digital Creator, RL Lockhart - Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
— Educator, EEO Specialist, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign - Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
— Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group - Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
— Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame - Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
— Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction) - Letitia Gomez (she/her)
— The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Formerly of Voto Latino - Lynne Brown (she/her)
— Publisher, Washington Blade - Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
— Political Strategist and Organizer - Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
— Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures - Meghann Burke (she/her)
— Executive Director, NWSL Players Association - Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
— Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Coalition - Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
— CEO, Center on Halsted - Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
— CEO, Moxie Strategies - Alice Wu (she/her)
— Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter - Storme Webber (she/her)
— Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington - Kim Stone
— CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit - Mickalene Thomas
— American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio - Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
— Executive Director, interACT - J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
— Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
Celebrity News
D.C. goes gaga for Gaga
Bisexual icon brought ‘The Mayhem Ball’ tour to Washington this week
Lady Gaga this week took D.C. by storm.
The bisexual icon and LGBTQ rights champion brought “The Mayhem Ball” tour to Capital One Arena on Monday and Tuesday.
“Abracadabra,” “Paparazzi,” “Applause,” and “Bad Romance” are among the songs Lady Gaga performed during the 2 1/2-hour long concert. Lady Gaga also celebrated her many queer fans.
“You are precious to us,” she said on Tuesday night before she performed “Born This Way.”
‘No Kings’ protests set for D.C.
Border to border: modern slavery and human trafficking in refugee movements across East Africa
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Pa. House passes bill to codify marriage equality in state law
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
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